Improvement in knitting-machines



6 Sheets-Sheet I. E, TIFFANY.

. Knitting-Machine. No. 198,757. Patented Jan. 1,1878.

.|"' afllll'w"www'I' -Mmhiullll l@ms @70 s 20'@ @gil s i? a:

. t 2f 't l l F222" s Q i ,J fa f J 7 f' y H z 'y e f' a;

i l a ag. M S a 4 Z 0.- zl v (j H :9 p5 ef 05 .7 T .P l? y# ,5' .f

FIG- 1 N. PETERS, PMc'm.Lm4-0GRAFHER. msnmwn. n. c,

6 Sheets-Sheet 2.'

Yhm.u

fak

@ Mami@ N. PETERSI FHOTQIJTHOGRAPHE. WASHINGTON. D C.k

' rsheets-Sheet 3. E. TIFFANY.

I Knitting-Machine. '110.198.757' 1 Patented 1an.11878.

Myw j? www N- PETERS, FHOTO-IJTHDBRI'HER. WASHINGTN. D. C4

6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

E. TIFFANY. Knitting-Machine.

No.198,7.57. Patented Jan.,1, 1878.

@j lvvITNESSEs Mmm ".PETLRS, FHTQLITHOGRAPHE, WASWNGTON. D C.

6 Sheets-Sheet 5.

E. TIFFANY. Knitting-Machine.

Patented Jan.'1, 1s78.

PIG?.

"Elche,-

|11 l l l 1 l l 1 I1.H.

WITNSSES)- ma 1MM @Mm N-PEERS. PHOTOIJTH`OGRAFHEE WASHINGTON. D. C.

6 sheets-sheets.

E. TIFFANY. Knitting-Machine.

10.198,757'. Patented Jah.1,1s7s.

WI'I'NE s'sEs N. PETERS. FHOT0-L|THDGRAPHEK WASHINGTON. 0 L':A

UNITED STATES PATENT Enr TIFFANY, or BnNNINeToN, vnnMoNnAssreNor. or ONE-HALF nrs RIGHT To oHAnLEs coornn, or SAME Pnl-ion.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNiTTiNe-|v|A c|-i||\'1|5s.V

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 198,757, dated January 1,' 1878 application filed June 27, 1877.

To all whom #may concern: i

Be it known that I, ELLTIFFANY, of Bennington, in the county of Bennington 'and State of Vermont, have invented an Improved Fulk; Fashion Spring Needle Knitting Ma` chine; and I do hereby declare the following to he a full, clear, and exact description of lthe known tomanufacturers and dealers as fullfashioned f goods, and embracing shirts, drawers, stockings, jackets, Sto., in fact, all garments the members orparts whereof are shaped or adapted to fit the form of the limb4 or Vthe body of the wearer. This machine is adapted to automaticallyr knit such constituent parts of the garmentto any prescribed pattern, and accomplishes such result by the process called narrowing -that is, by commencing the knitting of the piece at its broadest end, and, asv the knitting progresses, narrowing the breadth thereof by successive leave the selvages thereof of the shape desired, so that when such selvages are united Jco-their respective companion parts or pieces theiinished form of the member, body, or `of the whole garment shall be attained.

Spring-needles` are exclusively employed in this machine, and the mechanism for knitting,

contradistinguished from the narrowing mechanism, independent of the main driving-cam and its appurtenances which actuates the slur-cocks, is substantially similar to that Y employed in the knitting-machine patented to me May l, 1860, and-extended April 30, 1874.

The novel elements in this machine are as follows: First, the cam and its appurtenances by which, in conjunction with 'a combination of levers, reciprocating` motion is communicated to the slur-cock and yarn-carrier; seeond, the mechanism by which the position of the driver of the yarn-carrier (which is at-.

tached to thesliding head appended to the draw-lever) is shifted from one side of the projection on` the yarn-carrier, by which the steps, so as to` same is propelled tothe opposite side therei of,- at or near the completion of each stroke, Aand before the completion of the return movement; third, the system of mechanism embracing the pattern-cylinder, and the several parts governing its operation, by which the configuration ofthe selvage is predetermined,

which pattern-cylinder is adaptedto slide longitudinally on its actuating-shaft, and has its surfaces -provided with parallel circumferential ranges of holes, which can be opened or lpart of the driving apparatus, the shipping arms or levers of all such trucks beingattached to asingle shipping-bar, so as to secure the suspension of action of the knitting mechanism simultaneously with the bringing into action of the narrowing mechanism, or vice versa; sixth, the mechanism and its mode of operation provided for stopping the machine when, in process-of knitting and narrowing, the end of t-he pattern has been reached.

.Similar letters in the several figures of the drawings refer to like or corresponding parts of the machine.

Figure lisa front elevation of the machine. f

Fig. 2 is aview, in elevation, of the right-hand end of the same. l Fig. 3 is a view,in elevation, of the left-hand end ofthe same. Fig. 4 eX- hibits a rear elevation of a part of said machine, exhibiting theprincipal cam-shaft with cams thereon, and the several friction rolls or trucks, which work in conjunction therewith, together with the shipping-bar, to which are attached the several shipping-arms by which said trucks are shipped into and out of action, as well as the pattern-cylinder, with' its attachments and connecting mechanism between same and cam on drive-shaft and shipping-bar.4 Fig. 5 shows, in plan, thepat- Enrontern-cylinder and its appendages. Fig. 6 exhibits the mechanism by which the advancing,

receding, and tilting or rocking movements of and the narrowing-points are moved up. Fig. l

10 shows the mechanism for actuating the presser-bar. Fig. 11 exhibits the mechanism by means of which the sinkers are locked and held out of action while the operation of nar-` rowing or effecting the transfer of stitches from one needle or set of needles to another is taking place. Fig. 12 exhibits a vertical cross-section, taken through the machine on the line 1 2 of Fig. 4, and, among other thin gs, presents to view an end elevation of the cam which actuates the compound draw-levers, together with the guides which control the action of the switch; also, relative position of needle-bar, needles, narrowing-points, yarncarrier, sinkers, presser-bar, narrowing-racks, draw-levers, 85o. Figs. 13, 14, 15, 16, and 18, consecutively', show the relative positions of the narrowing-points, sinkers, and needles with reference to each other and to the stationary parts of the machine from the inception of the narrowingmovementthroughthesuccessivestages to the culmination thereof. Fig. 17 shows a top or plan view ofthe main driving-cam, exhibiting also a portion of the compound drawlever, and the intervening devices, by use of which the `desired reciprocatory movement of the yarn-carrier is obtained. Fig. 19 shows the inner aspect of the large disk, to which are attached the cams by which the movements ofthe shipping-bar, in connection with the narrowing-tackle, are governed. Fig. 20 illustrates the mechanism. by which the vertically-movable driver by which the yarn-earrier is propelled is shifted from one to the other side of the projection on the yarn-carrier, against which it impinges, which movement takes place at or near theterminus of each stroke or traverse ofthe yarn-carrier. Fig. 22 shows an edge view of the large disk seen in side elevation in Fig. 19, exhibiting the cams by which the reciprocating movement of the.

shipping-bar is accomplished, and the lcam which elevates the narrowing-tackle, hereinafter more particularly described'.

The ,operativev parts of this machine are mounted in and upon a suitable frame, A,resting upon a table, B. On the front of the machine is located the driving-shaft C, provided at left end with tight and loose pulley E and F and driving-gear G, and at right end with balance-Wheel D. Gear G meshes with intermediate gear H, Fig. 3, upon the inside of tion with truck x, lever w, pivoted on shaft c, connecting-rod a4, and coil-spring c, communicates to the narrowing-points u u their requisite rocking or tilting movements. Truck an is moved axially onto and off cam y by shippingarm z, attached to shipping-bar M. GearH engages and actuates gear b4 on cam-shaft I, and through the same, and the several cams thereto attached, motion to the various parts of the machine is transmitted. On the outer side of gear b4 is attached, on cam-shaft I, the cam c, which, at each revolution of said gear b4, will communicate to the connecting-rod O a reciprocating motionkthe downward movement of which will, through the agency of elbow P and pawl e4, with which the same is connected, communicate to the ratchet-wheel Q a progressive rotary movement of one notch. The return movement of the connecting-rod is se` cured by the action of the retractile spring L1. Said ratchet-wheel Q is attached to one end of shaft N, which carries on its other end thi-pattern-cylinder S, Fig. 5, which is free to slide axially on said shaft within certain limits, but is prevented from rotating independently thereon by reason of the rod'W, which enters a hole in saidpattern-cylinder, an d is connected at its outer end with hub It, which is iirmly secured to said shaft N. The rotary move-v ment of the pattern-cylinder depends on pawl and ratchet e4 Q, and the longitudinal or axial movement upon the action of the cam-face f 4, which diagonally bisects the circumferential groove g4, working against the pins i* i* of lever 71.4, Fig. 5. Said groove and pins are so arranged that at each revolution of the pattern-cylinder S, when the diagonal face f 4 engages the pin in the groove g4, the further rotation of the pattern-cylinder, on account of the resistance offered to cam-face f4 by the pin in its path, will cause said pattern-cylinder to be forced axially toward hub R, so that the pin next adjacent to the one last engaged will enter the lateral opening of groove g4, and thus bring into action a new range or series of holes on the pattern-cylinder. The lever h4 is pivoted at one end to the frame, as at ji, the other end being free to swing back, so as to disengage the pins i* i4 from the groove g4 when the same is not confmed'by the latch 7c", provided for the purpose of confining said pins in` en- -gagement with the groove of the pattern-cylinderv S when the knitting is progressing. Pattern-cylinder S is provided with ranges of holes arranged rectangularly, so that the lon gitudinal series or ranges shall be coincident with the teeth of ratchet-wheel Q, and the cir- Y cumferential ranges coincident with the pins i4 4 of lever h4. 4

Next in order, reading from the ends of shaft I, come cams on m, Figs. 6 and 7, which, acting in conjunction with trucks n a, elbowlevers p p, connecting-rods q q, arms s s, hav- `ing shaft C as their working-center, communicate to the sliding heads t t, which carry ,the

narrowing-points u u., their appropriate ad-vl vancing and receding movements in process of narrowing. -Truck n is moved axially onto and o cam m by shipping-arm o, attached to shipping-bar M.. f l Y In Fig. 8 are shown the devices. foroperatf ing the needlesbar. Cams b' bon shaft I give to the Li'ieedle-bar IL t", andthereby to the needles, their regular reciprocating, movement during the process of knitting, which is accomplished through the agencyof trucks c' c and elbow-rockers 6 e', the upper arms of which work against 4lugs iufm, on slides g y', and

'carry the needlebar h i and needles fm back-- wardly, the return movement being effected through the instrumentality of springs f f. Cams a c,by reasonoftheir shape, communicate to the needles, in .theV process of narrowing, four distinct movements. For the purpose lof more clearly describing these separate. but consecutive 'motions,l have designated points in the periphery of cam a bythe iigures 3, 4,. 5,6, and?, which have reference es!" pecially to positions of the needles and nar.-

rowing-points shown in Figs. '13,114,15, 16,

and 18, hereinafter more fully described. The.

adjacent cams a a and b. b have a common periphery between the points marked and 7,

in Fig. 8 5 and it iswhile trucks c', c' are'in conjunction with thesecommon faces that the shipping of the samefrom one to the otherA takes place. Trucks c( c are shipped by shipping-arms d d attached to shipping-bar M', as shown.

The mechanism for accomplishing theV actual transfer of the marginal stitch or stitches from the'needles on which they were formed to an interior set of needles, otherwise called narrowing,7 is shown in Fig. 1, in part in front elevation, and in Fig. 9, in side elevation. Gains o o, Figs. 9 and 4, communicate motion, through trucks p' p', tolevers s s', pivoted to the framef of the machine at n4 (a4. To the front end of levers s s arevattached lugs or pins t t', which work. in slots in the 'vertical slides u u. To the upper end of the slides u u are pivoted the pawls w w', the points of i which engage in the ratchetteeth of the nar-l rowing-racks x x'. Said ratchet-teeth on said racks coincide with, orare the multiple of,

' the gage of the'needlebar. On the inner ends of said narrowing-racks are attached the cross pieces y' y', through the lower extremities of which, and opposite the heads carrying the narrowing-points, are inserted the set-screws z z', Fig.- l. These set-screws are provided with check-nuts, if necessary, and their func tion is to regulate the lateral adjustment of the narrowing-points with reference to the eyes of the needles. The narrowing-point head t, Fig. l, is 'adjusted with gibs, or in'any other suitable way, so as to slide onthe bar 7c', but `tightly enough to maintain its Vposition without becoming easily disarranged under ordinary circumstances. To the tops of Asaid cross-pieces y y', Fig. 1, are also attached the shifting-latches d6 d7 and the supports which. 4prevent their dropping below a horizontal `position.` The said pawls receive their downward or operative movements om the spring b, dotted, which is attachedat itsmiddle to a rail orbreastgirt ofthe machine,.and theA extremities of which are connected with the slides u u by their screws c a. The extent of movement of said pawls is adjusted by means o f the check-nuts t' c on screws a al. Upon the ends of the arms s s, which Iare pivoted on shaft C, is attached the bar k', upon which theV heads4 t t slide which carry the narrowingpoints.

In order that the sinkers mayl not interfere with the operation of narrowing until required, the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1l is pro- `vided, the same being actuated by cam l on y shaft I. The cam m (shown inFig. 11) oper-v ates the sinkers, through the intervening mech:- i anism, during the knitting operation and at. thc'pointof'contact betweenthe cam Z" and i vtruck nthe faces ofthe adjacent cams l" and` I 4mf are coincident, to facilitate the shipping ofxtruck n from one onto the other.

narrowing process commences, the forward. movement of cam Z carries the high point 11 of saidcam under truck. n, thus elevating As the lever '0". and consequently, by means of stud r, thev lock-out bar s, which carries with lit all.the"sinkers, Saidwpa'rts are held in such dormant position untilcam l has rotated the concentric portion of its periphery under truck n between the points 1l and 12, from which point the shape of cam l permits the sinkers to fall at-the opportune moment, to arrest and hold backfrom being .drawn oif the needles bythe narrowing-points the newly-transferred stitches. A, j

The `disk d5.(shown in Fig. 19) is armed with,`

three cams-viz.,a 5, b5, and c5. These cams operate inv conjunction with those parts of what is hereby designated the narrowingtackle which are marked, respectively, Z, Y,

and h5.l Said narrowing-tackle is composed of the vertically-sliding stud or pin X, connecting link e5, vertically-sliding stud m5, which carriesA on its top end the truck Y, and is connected at the bottom with top end of connect-` ingflink efby a ball-and-socket or other suitav ble joint.

When, in process of knitting, pattern-'cylinf der S is rotated so that one of the open holes is presented to pin X', the saine will drop into said hole by the force of gravity, and all the superinc'umbent mechanism of the narrowingtackle connected therewith will be correspondingly lowered, so that truck Y will fall into thepath of cam a5 andstud Z, outof reach of cam c5.

The further revolution of cam c5 will forced; shipping-bar M to ship the trucks off the knitting-cams and ontothe narrowing-cams. Its

further revolution will bring cam vb5 against pin h5, thus raising the pin 4Xout of the hole inthe `pattern-cylinder and stud Z into the path of,4 camcf 4Thefurther revolution of` said disk will bring cam c5 into engagement with stud Z, and thus force shifting-bar M and its appurtenances back into position to resume knitting. At other times the narrowingtackle is supported by pin X, resting'upon cylinder S, between the holes therein. Stud m5 slides or works in or through bracket j5,which` which is actuated by aproj ection on pattern-cyl-- inder S, provided for that purpose, as at c5; or, whichis usuallythe case, when the pattern does not involve the employment of all the annular series of holes, a screw is insertedin onev of the holes in the.'pattern-cylinder,immediately at or after vthe terminus of the pattern, and is left to project far enough, so that asthe pat'- tern-cylinderl advances in 'its legitimate path said screw will engage the end of projecting arm T of rock-shaft U, and, by partially rotating the same, unlatch and release the latch p5,

- thus permitting the spring shipping-bar V to ship the belt, and thereby stop the machine.

The operation of shifting the position of the driver which propels lthe yarn-carrier am from one side of. the lug thereon` tothe other is accomplished in this wise: Assuming theposition of the several parts to be as shown in Fig. 2.0, the driver as being in position to make 1 a traverse from left to right, or in the direction of the' arrow, said driver will advance until its lower end engages the projecting lug` g6 of the yarn-carrier, which will then be propelled con! currently with the driver a6.' When the pin c6 on' back side of driver a engages the bevel face e of shifting-latch d, said latch will be elevated to .the position shown indotted lines, and said pin c6 will escape thereunder, and

pursue its course .until thepinthereon encounters the beveled or inclined face f6 of shifting-latch d?, upon which said pin willv ascend, as indicated by dotted lines, until the driver has attained an elevation suflicient'to y destroy contact or engagementwithlug '96,

whereupon the further advance of said lug and yarncarr1er will cease, and said pin, pursuing its pathupover and upon the upper side of the beveled lprojection on shifting-latch 6F, will advance sufficiently that when said driver 'falls back into position it will be in they position shown in dotted lines across shifting-latch dl, and be in position to make the return traverse,

whenthe same series of movements will recur' in a reversed order. i

By reference t0 Figs. 1, 4,12, and y17, the construction and-operation of the mechanism which produces the'lreciprocatory movement of they slur-cock and yarn-carrier may be deduced.

When cam-shaft I is put in operation,'as suming the position shown in Fig. 1 as a starting-point, that edge of the cam-groove of cylinderJ which coincides with the inner edge of switch b will, in course of revolution of said cylinder, impinge against truck'u, as seen in Fig. 17, and from its nature cause the compound lever L K to make a sweep from left to right. In this operation the guide 7L, which is attached to one end of the cross-head p7, is canted into an elevated position, ready to engage pin or lug t' of theswitch-arm; and,i'n course of further revolution of cam J, the truck n follows the track indicated vby the arrow in Fig. 17 'until the truck has taken positionin that portion of the groove at the other or opposite end of vthe cam-cylinder, ready to be propelled or driven by the opposite edge of the cam-groove over to its original position.

After the'switch l) has passed the truck n the lug t' is vbrought in contact ,with the inner edge of one or the other of the guides j' and h, and,

by reason of their diagonal adjustment across or athwart the axis of the cam-cylinder J, said switch b is crowded over 'to the opposite limit of its path' of travel, so as to bring the other edge of said switch into position, ready to produce an opposite stroke.

A simple lever may be used in place of the compound lever K L in many machines, and is used by me in many machines of analogous construction to accomplish the same purposes;

and I 'do not restrict myself in practice to eitherfbut use a` simple or compound lever of thekind shown, as convenience dictates.v

In using this machine the configuration or contour of the piece to be produced is accomplished lbyfnarrowing, and the pattern is determined by leaving open certain holes in pat-` tern-cylinder S, whose path comes under the pi-n X of the narrowin g-tackle, and closing all other holes, softhat the surface of said cylin- 'der S shall be smooth and present no impediments to come in contact with the pin X of the narrowing-tackle, for at all times, except when" in act of narrowing, the narrowingtackle Arests upon and is supported `by those parts ofthe pattern-cylinder between the open holes therein.

The operation of the machine in narrowing is as follows: The knitting progresses ,until pawl e4 and ratchet Q have rotated patterncylinder S so as to bring one of the holes therein under pin X of the narrowing-tackle, whereupon said pin drops of its ownweight intosaid holeyand in 4its descent carries with it truck Y intovpositionfto be acted on by the cam a5, and at the same time taking stud Z out of the path of cam c5 on disk d5. Next in'order cam a5; acting on ltruck Y, and consequently on shipping-bar M, with which the same is connected, forces said truck and shipping-bar to ltlie lleft', and, by means of the severalshipping-arms z, '0 o, d' d', -q' 'q',pp, UW/,and aff,

the several trucks and other devices connected with said shipping-arms are thrown out of action for purposes of knitting, and by same movement the latch e is thrown into position,

` where it locks the cam-cylinder J by the catch upon the end thereof being inserted in slot d of said cam-cylinder-J. (Shown in Fig. 4.) The several trucks a', n u, c c', p' p', and ln, In" at same time will be shipped into action with the several cams with which they are designed to co-operate, and everything is now in readiness for the commencement of the narrowing process, the needle-bar, spring-needles, and ticklersV occupying the relative positions shown in Fig. 13. The first apparent movement is effected by cam m on truck u, Fig. 6, the result of which is to commence 4an advancing movement of the ticklers up over the barbs of the needles.

Then, by the action of cam a on truck c', thev needle-bar (through the intervening mechanism there shown) commences a concomitant, but slower, receding movement. Thus the ticklers, advancing at a more rapid pace than the needles recede, gain on them until the points of the ticklers have reached a position immediately over the eyes of the needles, from which position needles and ticklers together move slightly farther back. vMeantime the sinkers have been gradually elevated out of the way by the action of cam l on truck u, and mechanism connected therewith. (Shown in Fig. 1l.) At this stage the points of the ticklers are depressed by action of cam y on truck and mechanism intervening between said truck and the ticklers u u, (shown in Fig. 6,) so that such points lie in the eyes of the needles, as at Fig. 14. In this relative position they continue to recedeuntil the ends of the needles are withdrawn through the slots or grooves of the knocking over bar kg, Fig. 8. In the execution of this part of the movement the point of the tickler, so resting in the eye of the needle, has been forced-through the stitch or loop which was on the needle previously, so that, `as the needle is drawn back through the slots .of the knocking-over bar, a delivery of the lstitch onto the tickler is accomplished. volved in the narrowing process have been fairly transferred from the needles upon which they were originally formed ontothe ticklers, and the said needles have been retired, so as not to interfere with the transfer movement of the stitches laterally onto another set of scribed movement cams o o', Fig. 9, have been elevating the pawls iv w', by means of the mechanism shown in said figure and hereinbefore more fully described, to a position from which they now descend vunder the action of At this stage the stitches inspring bf', and4 thereby move up the narrowing-racks a0 w', and, resultantly, through the` set-screws z" z', the ticklers u u to .a position opposite and over the needles upon or to which it is designed to deliver thev stitches from the ticklers. At this instant, and simultaneously, the ticklers are depressed or tilted, as seen in Fig. 16, and the sinkers, under the action of .cam t", have commenced their descent, so that the bottom points thereof have entered between the position of the ends of the needles and in front of the fabric, which position thereof prevents the stitches upon the ticklers from being carried back thereonwhen'the retiring movement thereof is commenced, and also assists to retain them in eX- act position for the knitting-needles to move up preparatory to receiving said stitches from the ticklers. Here occurs a still further depression of the points of the ticklers, for the .purpose of more definitely presenting the loops of the stitches thereon to the approaching end of the knitting-needle. The needles then advance slightly, and the ticklers, still retaining the last-described position, correspondingly recedeuntil the ends of the needles have penetrated the loops of the stitches still suspended on the ticklers.

The relative positions of the several parts involved. at this stage of the operation are shown in Fig. 18.

From` this point the ticklers finally withdraw from the stitches, leaving them upon the last-mentioned setof needles, and the arms s s and bar k fall back to their dormant position, while theneedles are advanced to the front and into position for the knitting to be resumed.

The operation of narrowing having thus been accomplished, there remains to throw out of action the narrowing-cams, and bring into play the knitting mechanism. This is accoml plished as follows: At the moment when the knitting-needles have 'resumed the position.

last above referred to, and the narrowing-points or ticklers have retreated from action, theled ge of cam b5 on disk d5 will have been brought around into position to act upon pin v" of elbow 5, and the further progressive movement of saidcam b5 will thrust over said elbow,'so as to result in the elevation into the position seen in Figs. 1 and 19 ofthe narrowing-tacklethat is, truck Y will be elevated above and out of the path of cam a?, and stud Z will be .ele-

vvated so that the top end thereof will lie in the path of cam c5. Further progressive movement on the part of diskd5 causes cam c5 to impin ge against and thrust to one side stud Z. and'thereby cause the shippin g-bar M, to which the bracket is attached in which said stud Z works, by means of `its several shipping-arms before alluded to, toV throw out of operative position the trucks for communicating motion to the narrowing mechanism, and to bring into play the cam-trucks and combinations of mechanism by which the knitting is carried on.

Itis sometimes desirable and necessary to Y chines of this class.

knit one straight selvage at the same time that the other selvage is being narrowed.

-This may be accomplished by turning over or back one of the pawls wf, so as to throw the' narrowing-rack out of action, and thus prevent the moving up of' one of the narrowingracks m with its appendages.

In all cases when the same truck or frictionroller is employed in both processes of knitting and narrowing, the cams with which the same co-operates, and which are adjacent to each other, have at one point of their peripheries a common face, which permits the truck to be shipped or shifted from one onto the other without obstruction.

I am aware that friction bowls, rolls, or trucks have heretofore been used in the communication of motion in connection with cams 5 and I am also aware that, for purposes of suspending temporarily the action or connection between cams and the levers or parts with which they co-operate, the cams have heretofore been arranged to slide out of action axially on the shaft, or, as in other instances, the shaft with cams attached has been moved bodily in the line of its axis out of action.

Neither of these systems of securing` intermittent action of the cams and levers do I claim per se.

Several valuable results are secured by the employment of a system of movable trucks over either a system of movable cams or levers, among which may be noticed the following:

In many machines are found cams and levers which operate constantly both in knitting and narrowing, and special construction would be requisite to prevent these being thrown out -of action in cases where the shaft is moved endwise. Alarge amount of detrition or wearing out of shape of the cams and` tappets of ordinary construction is avoided by the interposition of a friction-truck, which may be of hardened steel, and almost entirely obviate this fault. A great diminution of friction in the action of' the cams is secured, especially where so many cams are employed as in ma- Less force is required to ship these small cams out of 'action than is required to move a set of levers, a set of cams, or the shaft bodily with cams attached. The movement can be more promptly and easily effected than in the old way. The shock occasioned by the impact of the abrupt or steep faces of the cams against rigid tappets of' the old style of construction, which is a great evil in machines of that class, and which involves a serious loss of power, besides rendering all the movements unsteady, irregular, and jerky, is very materially relieved.

I am not aware that machines embracing this feature as a system for accomplishing the purposesenumerated have ever before been used; Hence v I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-' l. The mechanism provided for communicating reciprocatory movement to the slurcock and yarn-carrier, consisting of cam-cylinder J, provided with groove c c and switch b, having lug t' mounted upon a shaft, in coinbination with lever K, provided with frictionroller n, and switch-guides f and h, attached to said lever and adjusted to operate in connection with switch b, all substantially as described and set forth.

2. The mechanism for shifting the position of the vertically-movable driver a6 from its position on one side of projection gs during one part of the stroke to a corresponding position on the opposite side of said projection preparatory to making the return-stroke, and consisting of shifting-latches d6 and cF, each provided with projections having the inclined faces e6 e6 and f6 f6, pivoted, as shown, in combination with the vertically-movable driver a, armed with lug c6, and adj usted to slide in box I)6 of the driver-head, all combined and operating substantially as shown and describedg 3. The mechanism for determining the pat?` tern or fashion of the piece to be wrought, and the appliances for operating the same, consisting of pattern-cylinder SLhaving its surface f provided with holes adapted t0 be distributed and closed, substantially vas described, so as to construct a system of longitudinal and c iry cumferential ranges, havin g at one end groove g4, bisected by the diagonal cam-face f, in combination with hub R and rod W, all arranged, as described, on a shaft actuated by pawl and ratchet, and co-operatin g with lever 11,4 scribed and set forth.

4V. The mechanism for controlling the action of shipping-bar M and its attachments, consisting of bracket j5, attached to shipping-bar M, provided with' movable stud g5, frictionroller Y, movable stud Z, connecting-link 65,. pin X, and elbow i5, having projection h5, inv

combination with disk d5, armed with cams a5, b5, and c5, adapted to be controlled by apertures in pattern-cylinder S, substantially as described and set forth.

5. The described means for controlling the variousknitting and narrowing movements of fashioning knitting-machines through theagency of axially-movable trucks or friction rolls, working in conjunction with fixed cams, the shippers of which trucks are all attached to a common shipping-bar, arranged to be actuated by a narrowing-tackle dependent for its movements on a pattern-cylinder, all constructed, combined, and operating substantially as described and set forth.

6. The mechanism for stopping the machine at the termination of the pattern, consisting of lug a5 or pin on pattern-cylinder, arm 'I of shaft U, latch p5 thereon, and catch o5 kon belt-shipper c, all combined, arranged, and operating substantially as described and set forth.

7. The described means for regulating the length of traverse of the yarn-carrier, and formoving narrowing-points, consisting' of cams o' o', trucks p p', levers s s', vertical slides u armed with pins 4 4, substantially as deu', spring b, pawls w' w', and na-rrowing- In testimony whereof I have hereto set iny racks w w with their described attachments, hand at Bennington, Vermont, this 18th dasT combined, arranged, and operating snbstanof June, A. D. 1877. f

tially as described andset forth.

8. The cam-cylinder J, having slot d, in ELI TIFFANY. combination With latch e, attached to ship'- ping-bar M by means of Which said cam-oyl- In presence of inder is locked While the operation of narrow- CHARLES F. PRICE-IARD, ing is progressing, substantially as described FRANKLIN SCOTT.

and set forth. l 

